


Fulcrum of Fate

by ArielSakura



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Implied Mpreg, M/M, POV Charlie Weasley, POV Harry Potter, POV Molly Weasley, Platonic Soulmates, Red String of Fate, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-02-22 09:30:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22713889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArielSakura/pseuds/ArielSakura
Summary: Fed up with the responsibilities heaped upon him after he defeated Voldemort, Harry flees the UK in search of his yet unknown soulmate.A few years later, when Charlie receives an urgent owl from Bill, asking for his discretion and his help, he never expected to find his adventurous older brother living in domestic bliss. How the two have been able to keep everyone from finding out so long, Charlie does not know.He is also unaware that soulmates are, in fact, real. Though he is about to find out the truth for himself - in a very, very, unexpected way. Even by wizarding standards.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Bill Weasley
Comments: 50
Kudos: 625
Collections: Hermione's Nook RarePair Soulmate Fest, Love Fest 2020





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [00Q_Magnus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/00Q_Magnus/gifts).



> This story is for Q - my brilliant muse and bunny generator. She is the one who came up with this idea originally and I knew I just had to write it for her when this fest came about. My biggest hugs and love for you! You're an amazing person and I treasure your friendship (and daily pictures of SevSev) so, so much!! 
> 
> This story was written as a part of the Hermione's Nook Rare Pair Soulmate Fest and the prompt I was given was: Red Strings of Fate. I recommend you take a look at the other fics in this is collection as they are utterly fantastic works!

It had been about a week since Harry had defeated Voldemort. A week since the Battle of Hogwarts. Slowly, Harry blinked open his eyes to stare upward at the Gryffindor red curtains above him, his thoughts already racing at the multitude of things he had to do that day. Rebuilding, organising, cleaning. The Ministry wanted to talk to him. The press wanted to talk to him. His friends, students he had gone to school with, even people who he had never met. Everyone wanted to talk to him. Wanted a piece of him.

Harry was exhausted just thinking about it. He sighed. Maybe he could go back to sleep and hope that they might leave him alone for just a little longer. They had to respect his sleep, right? He was exhausted after the past year on the run with Ron and Hermione. Merlin, the past _years_ even. 

He just wanted to rest. 

Couldn’t he just rest now? Didn’t he deserve it? Harry sighed again and rolled onto his side, punching his pillow into a better shape before closing his eyes. 

There it was again. That damn red line in his vision.

It was thinner now than he had ever remembered seeing it and Harry frowned at that realisation, wondering, not for the first time, what this could mean.

The red line had appeared on his seventeenth birthday, out of nowhere. It stretched off into the darkness of his eyelids and it had thinned and thickened ever since, though Harry had never been able to discern _why._ But now... now it was thinned to the point of almost non-existence and even though it had scared him in the beginning… its current state scared him much more. 

Harry had meant to ask someone about it, Hermione always at the top of that list. But he had never found the time. The few instances he had remembered it long enough after he had gotten up for the day, something more important had always come up and derailed any other thoughts completely. 

But, now he no longer had Voldemort to worry about, so maybe now was the time to look into this. 

Sitting up, Harry cast a tempus spell. It was just past five in the morning, most of the castle’s inhabitants would still be asleep. His mind made up, he threw back his bedclothes and hurriedly got dressed for the day. 

He debated for a moment on whether to wake Hermione, but ultimately decided against it. That would also mean waking Ron, and as glad as Harry was that they had _finally_ gotten together. He didn’t fancy seeing them all curled around one another. 

Heading for the library, Harry walked quickly, hoping to avoid anyone who might be up at this hour. Thankfully, he arrived without notice and was able to slip in undetected. 

The library had escaped the battle with no damage at all. Someone had mentioned they had seen Madame Pince lock and ward it against intrusion and swore on their wands they had seen her take down three Death Eaters who had tried to gain entrance. Harry believed them and was more than a little thankful she wasn’t here just yet. 

Wondering where to start, Harry began browsing randomly, unsure as to what he was actually looking for. As he came around the end of one stack he drew up short at the sight of none other than Madame Pince. 

She stood there, arms folded over her bosom, with her navy bathrobe tied hastily around her waist. Her hair was curled into rollers atop her head and a silken eye mask complete with moving cats eyes perched on her hairline.

“Can I help you, Mr Potter?”

“Oh, erm. I was just…”

“Fondling the books?”

Harry snatched his hand back from where it rested against a book, he had just been reading the title. 

“Um, no. I mean, I’m looking for something.”

“Yes?” she prompted. 

Her pointed glare and twitching eyebrow quickly had Harry telling her about his predicament. 

“...and you see, now it’s gotten really thin, it’s almost gone and I _need_ to know what it is.”

Pince harrumphed and turned her back to him, stalking away. She rounded one corner, and Harry heard a muffled scraping sound. Hurrying after her, he found her climbing a ladder. As she stretched and her bathrobe began to rise, revealing a nicely defined ankle with a butterfly tattoo, he hastily turned his head - he did NOT need to know such things about the aged school librarian - and waited until he was sure she had reached the floor once more. 

“Here,” she said, thrusting the book at his chest, “now shoo! And make sure you return it in the same condition it is now!” 

Harry took the well-thumbed book from her and promised he would do so, stumbling over his feet and his assurances as he left the library and Madame Pince’s steely gaze. 

Several corridors away, Harry finally glanced at the book she had given him and blanched at the cover. ‘ _Connections of Love: And What They Mean for_ _You_ _’._

Making a swift decision, Harry shoved the book under his jumper and headed for the kitchens. He could find something to eat there and read his book in relative privacy. He made use of as many shortcuts as he could, and soon found himself ensconced in a corner of the kitchen with a glass of pumpkin juice, cup of tea, and a plate of bacon butties. 

Sandwich in hand, Harry cast a cursory look around the kitchen. Seeing only house-elves busily preparing for breakfast, he opened the book to the index page. 

_** Red Thread of Fate **_

**_Foreword_ ** _……………………………............................……page 1_

**_Introduction_ ** _……………………………………………….…...page 2_

**_Chapter 1: Songs_ **

_\- Stuck in your head………………………..….…..page 3_

_\- Spontaneous singing………………..…….…….page 4_

**_Chapter 2: Colours_ **

_-The world is black and white………......……..page 6_

_-The world is all one colour…………....….…...page 7_

_-Footprints………………………………….……...page 9_

_-Marks on your skin……………….…...………..page 10_

**_Chapter 3: Physical_ **

_-Random unknown injuries………......……….page 15_

_-Writing on your body…………….…....……...page 16_

_-Mark upon your skin………………...…….….page 20_

_-Unknown illnesses…………………...….…….page 30_

**_Chapter 4: Metaphysical_ **

_-Phantom touches………………….…..….…..page 43_

_-Red thread……………………………….….….page 45_

_-Knowledge you didn’t learn……..…..........page 46_

_-Emotions that are not your own…...........page 47_

Ignoring the rest of the index, Harry hurriedly turned to page forty-five. Narrowly avoiding dripping brown sauce on the pages as he bit into his first butty, he began to read.

  
  


_Red Thread of Fate_

_The red thread of fate is one of the many variants of finding your soulmate. The first recorded case of the red string was in East Asia, and this variant seems to have originated there._

_A red thread, or string, is only visible to each half of the Soul Bonded Pair when they close their eyes. [Note: The string only becomes visible when the youngest of the Soul Bonded Pair becomes of age]. It leads in the direction of the other; and, will thicken or thin dependant on the distance between them. Following the string will lead you to your soulmate._

_Of all the different ways to find your soulmate, this one is theorised to be in use when the two souls live in/on different countries or continents._

The book went on in more detail but Harry closed it, chewing slowly as he processed the information. He had a soulmate. Apparently. Out of all the things he had thought the strange red line in his vision could be - the fact that it might be a guide to his soulmate’s location was not one of them. 

Harry slowly made his way through his breakfast. By the time he drained the last drop of coffee, he had made up his mind. 

He was going to leave England. He was going to search for his soulmate. 

Sure, he would find Ron and Hermione first, explain to them what was going on. But then he was leaving. With any luck, he would be out of the country by nightfall.


	2. Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie rushes to Bill's side after receiving a distressing letter, he finds out in more ways than one that soulmates-while rare-are quite real. His own is very surprising.

Charlie took his seat in the Reserve’s mess hall. It was four-thirty in the morning and Charlie was one of the only ones who enjoyed waking up this early. 

“Morning!” he said cheerily, to his two of his three closest friends on the Reserve as he reached for the thick tar that passed for coffee around here. 

“Must you be so perky in the mornings?” grumbled Jaz.

One of the few female dragon trainers, Jaz had earned herself a little legend when she climbed into the mouth of an Antipodean Opaleye to remove a bone that had lodged itself in the dragon’s gum. 

Matthias, Charlie’s other best mate, flicked his newspaper open as he ribbed her, “Well, when you only get a few hours of sleep because you're up all night writing porn…”

Jaz sat up, hissing like the Opaleye that had adopted her, “I don’t write porn! I write titillating stories that explore the psychological and physical boundaries of desire and lust without sparing graphical details and explicit references!  _ And _ I use it as a way to explore the human dynamic and relationships between two people of differing character!”

“Jaz, just own it,” Charlie smirked, as he stirred milk into his coffee, “you write porn.”

“It’s more like an R-rated movie, there’s still plot!” she insisted.

“And it’s really good too, I think I went through half a bottle of lube with that last one,” Hugh said, as he dropped down next to Charlie. 

“Never said it wasn’t good,” interjected Matthias.

“Urgh! I did not need to know that, Hugh!” Jaz exclaimed though the pleased blush on her cheeks was clear for all to see.

Charlie chuckled and began to pile his plate with breakfast foods. Catching a glance at Matthias’ newspaper, he groaned. 

“They’re not seriously still on about that are they? Can’t they let him live in peace?”

Matthias turned the paper to look at the front where it was emblazoned;  _ “FIVE YEARS SINCE HARRY POTTER DISAPPEARED: See inside for possible locations.” _

“Yep, the people gotta know.”

“You sure you don’t know where he went?” Hugh asked, nudging Charlie. 

“Nope, and even if I did I wouldn’t tell you. You’re the worst at keeping secrets.”

“I am not!” 

“Are too,” Jaz said, “I shared one story, ONE, with you and then suddenly everyone knew about it!” 

“Or that time you did a shift as a favour for me?” Matthias added, “You weren’t supposed to  _ tell _ Henderson I was hungover!”

“Anyway,” Charlie jumped in before they could gang up on Hugh some more, “I only see him at Christmas and important birthdays. Plus he’s Ron’s best mate, not mine.”

“Yeah, that’s me,” Hugh said, wrapping an arm around Charlie’s shoulders.

“I was gonna say it's Jaz,” Charlie said grinning at him. 

Hugh clutched his chest as if wounded and Charlie and the rest laughed. They continued their breakfast when suddenly an owl swooped in. It was a bit early for the post, they usually didn’t see their owls until morning break. Charlie straightened in his seat when he recognised the Eurasian Eagle Owl that was flying towards him. 

Horus. 

Bill’s owl. 

Horus landed in front of him, and diligently held his leg out. Charlie fumbled with the strings that tied the letter to the owl. What was Bill writing to him that was so urgent? 

He murmured his thanks to Matthias as he poured the owl some water, and handed him a bit of sausage. Opening the letter, he felt his heart begin to beat a bit faster as a gold amulet fell into his hand and he read the urgency of his brother's words. 

_ Charlie,  _

_ I hate to cause you any stress, but I need to see you. As quickly as you can manage. Please! I can’t disclose any details, in case the letter gets into the wrong hands. But not only are you the only one who can help, but also the only one I would trust with a certain situation here. _

_ The amulet is an authorised Gringotts portkey. Pack light, but expect to stay a bit, perhaps a week.  _

_ Brother, you know me. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important. _

_ In the hopes to see you very soon,  _

_ Love always, _

_ Your brother, Bill. _

Charlie had just barely reached the end before he was scrambling out of his seat. 

“Charlie!” called Jaz, “what’s going on?”

“Family emergency,” he pressed out, “I need to see Henderson.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

After finding his boss and receiving a week’s leave, Charlie headed straight for his cabin. He wasn’t surprised to see his friends there waiting for him and when he opened the door, they followed in after him. 

“What’s going on, Charlie?” Matthias asked, clearly worried. 

“Bill, he needs me in Egypt, didn’t say why. I’ve got a portkey to go ASAP,” Charlie said, pulling the crumpled letter from his pocket and handing it over. 

“I’ll grab your bath shit,” Jaz said as they walked down the corridor. She ducked into the bathroom and Hugh turned back, heading for Charlie’s kitchen. 

Matthias followed him into his bedroom and Charlie summoned his canvas travelling bag. Shoving clothes and shoes and various other items he might need. 

“Fuck man, I hope everything’s okay,” Matthias said as he put the letter on the bed. 

Charlie grunted in reply. In all his life, he had never received such a terse letter from Bill before. Bill was normally pretty chatty, and his letters, especially in recent years, exuded happiness. 

Jaz came in with a bag he had never seen before, but was made from a familiar-looking material. She was tying it shut when Charlie realised she had transfigured it from his face washer. 

“Here,” she said, tossing the bag to him.

“Thanks,” he said, as he caught it, trying to smile at her, but knowing it came out as more of a grimace. 

Jaz squeezed his shoulder in return, and Charlie quickly stripped out of the heavy jumper he currently wore and exchanged it for a lighter shirt. Knowing the heat he was about to walk into. Hugh came in at the point, a brown paper bag in his hand. 

“Here, who knows how long they’ll keep you at the Egyptian Ministry when you get there.” 

“You guys are the best friend’s a bloke could ask for,” Charlie said gratefully. 

Hugh grinned widely, “Damn straight!” 

“Now get going,” Jaz said.

Charlie pulled the amulet from his pocket and glanced at the activation code scribbled at the bottom of the letter. 

“Floo us as soon as you can!” Matthias added. 

Charlie nodded as he sucked in a noisy breath, “ _ Activate: William Arthur Weasley.” _

~*~*~*~*~*~

It was around six in the morning when Charlie was allowed to Floo from the Egyptian Ministry. The time to get through customs hadn’t been all that long, though he had to wolf down the ham and cheese sandwich Hugh had made for him before it went into a bin. 

Stepping into Bill’s home, he realised it had been a while since he had been here. He was about to call out when he saw Bill coming down the hall pulling on a button shirt over his trousers, and his hair loose around his shoulders. 

“Charlie! You’re here!” Bill cried happily, rushing forward to engulf Charlie in a hug. 

Charlie dropped his bag at his feet, “Course I am!” he said as he embraced his taller brother, slapping him on the back a few times before he let go. “Your letter sounded urgent, what’s going on?” 

“Let’s have a seat, huh?” Bill said gesturing to the lounge. 

Charlie sat down and Bill ran a hand through his hair, letting out a deep sigh before delving into the story. 

“We were excavating a new tomb when one of my team accidentally took down what we thought was a keep-out ward. When in actuality, the ward was there to keep something  _ in. _ ” 

Charlie’s eyes went wide as Bill continued. 

“It’s― _ she’s _ ―a dragon. At least we’re pretty sure she is. She’s not a breed any of us have ever seen before or been able to find in books since. We need to relocate her, quickly, before the Goblins decide she’s too much trouble and kill her. They’ve given me a week to relocate her.”

“A  _ week?  _ They expect me to gain the trust of, and then relocate, a  _ dragon  _ in a  _ week? _ ” Charlie exclaimed as he heard someone else coming down the hall. “Hey, Harry,” he said after a glance.

“Hey, Charlie,” Harry said, with a wave as he walked into the kitchen. 

Bill looked at Charlie sheepishly and Charlie frowned at him for a moment before it dawned upon him. 

“Wait… Harry?  _ Harry’s here? _ ” 

“Yeah,” Bill said as he rubbed the back of his neck. “That’s the other thing I could use your help with. How exactly do you think I should break the news to the family that Harry and I are together?”

Charlie gaped at his older brother, utterly stunned by this revelation, as Harry walked back in, steaming cup of coffee in hand. 

“You mean, we can’t just tell them that we’re soulmates, have been living together for five years, and now I’m eating for two?” Harry asked as he took a seat on the arm of Bill’s chair, leaning down to greet Bill with a quick kiss. 

“What are you doing up so early?” Bill asked softly. 

“Heard voices,” Harry shrugged, “and you know once I’m awake, that’s it.”

Bill hummed. “Sorry, luv.”

“S’alright,” Harry replied, raising the cup he held to his lips. 

Charlie saw Bill chew his lip before he placed his hand over the rim of Harry’s cup, preventing him from having a drink. “You sure you want to have your ‘one cup a day’ now?” 

Harry frowned down at the cup in his hand for a moment before he pushed it toward Bill with a pout. Charlie watched as his brother took the cup from Harry and wrapped an arm around his waist, squeezing him gently in a reassuring way before he turned his attention back to Charlie.

Charlie held up a finger and took a breath as if to say something before pursing his lips together. Harry grinned at him, and Charlie sighed, scrubbing at his face with his hands.

“Mum’s gonna kill you two,” he said finally. He looked back up at them as he dropped his hands. 

“Well, we’re hoping it won’t come to that,” Bill said as he sipped from the coffee Harry had made. “Come on, let’s get some breakfast and then we’ll head down to the dig.”

Charlie was a little more than thankful to have scoffed that sandwich when he did as he watched Bill pat Harry’s arse to get him up. 

“I’ve eaten already.” 

“That’s alright,” Harry said as he stood, “Bubs will have your share.”

Bill snorted in amusement, “Bubs is the size of an avocado.”

“And I’m  _ hungry _ ,” Harry shot back with a glare. 

Charlie watched as Bill lifted his hands in surrender and followed both him and Harry into the kitchen. Harry headed straight for one of the cabinets, pulling out a large bag of coffee beans. Charlie cut a glance to Bill but he didn’t seem too concerned as he drained what was in his cup before heading to the cool box to pull a few items out for breakfast. 

Returning his attention to who he assumed was going to be his brother-in-law, Charlie watched as Harry sat at the table, opened the bag and stuck his head inside and inhaled deeply. Charlie felt his eyebrows shoot up as he watched Harry sigh in apparent relief. 

He glanced back at Bill, who was now fussing with the kettle. “Did you want a cuppa? Or a coffee, Charlie?”

“ _ Please, _ ” Harry groaned. 

“I’m making you a decaf, luv.” 

Charlie heard Harry mutter something unintelligible into the coffee beans. 

“Uh,” Charlie edged as he shot a look at Harry, who was seemingly happy drowning in coffee beans, “just a cuppa, thanks.”

Bill shot a grin back at him. “We  _ do _ have coffee that Harry hasn’t had his face in.”

“A cuppa’s fine,” Charlie insisted, not wanting to take the risk. “Already had a coffee this morning.”

Bill shrugged and set about preparing a few mugs as the kettle whistled. As he approached the table, Harry’s head popped out of his bag and Charlie had to hold back a snort when he saw two brown beans stuck to his cheek. 

Charlie could tell from the sudden twitch of Bill’s lips, he had noticed them too. 

“Here you go,” he said, placing the mugs down on the table. He placed a red mug in front of Charlie as he said. “The stripey ones yours, luv.”

Charlie noted the mulish glare Harry shot at Bill’s back before he reached for the blue mug and took a tiny sip. 

“Harry,” Bill said, the warning clear in his voice.

Harry sighed dramatically and reached for the stripey mug at last, pushing the blue mug out of his reach. 

“It’s not real coffee,” he muttered. Glaring at the milky brown liquid as if it had personally offended him. 

Charlie cleared his throat. “So, the dragon? What else can you tell me about it? You said it’s a female, how do you know?”

“Well, we’re guessing, because none of us particularly wanted to get close enough to look, but I dunno where that clutch of eggs came from if it’s  _ not _ a girl.” Harry said.

Charlie choked on his tea. “ _ What?! _ ”

“What, ‘what’?” Harry asked as Charlie continued to wheeze.

“She has  _ eggs? _ You have an unknown species of dragon and she has  _ eggs? _ ”

“Yeah” Harry answered, “Apart from that, we don’t really know all that much about her. She’s been trapped there for near about a thousand years from what we can tell from the hieroglyphs. Some old wizarding village trapped her in powerful stasis spells because they thought she was dangerous.”

Charlie sipped carefully at his tea as Bill brought over a plate of pancakes and fruit for himself and Harry. 

“Where’s the rest of it?” Harry asked as Bill set down a plate in front of him. 

Charlie watched as Bill seemed to sigh internally, “There’s more if you can keep that down for half an hour.” 

“Hey! I haven’t been sick for over a week!” 

“So, I’m imagining the vomiting I heard yesterday morning?” Bill asked dryly. 

Harry snapped his mouth shut from whatever retort he had been about to say and Bill looked as vindicated as Charlie remembered him being whenever he had won a rare argument against their mother. 

“Where’s the tomato sauce?” Harry asked instead. 

“Ah, shit, knew I forgot something,” Bill muttered as he stood back up. 

Charlie watched on as Harry snuck an extra pancake from Bill’s plate while his back was turned. 

“So, you’re really pregnant then?” Charlie asked, “How’d that happen?”

Harry’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “Your brother bent me over the kitchen table and had his wicked way with me.”

Charlie quickly picked his arms up off the table from where they had been resting and Harry burst out laughing. 

“Merlin, Charlie, he’s joking,” Bill said as he sat back down and handed Harry the tomato sauce. 

But Charlie caught the look they shared and the slight hint of blush behind Bill’s ears and thought it better to continue sitting back from the table. He leant back in his chair and studied them for a full minute. Harry drenched his pancakes and fruit in the savoury sauce before tucking in and he and Bill watched together with fascinated disgust.

“I still can’t believe that tastes good,” Bill said mildly. 

Harry jabbed his fork in Bill’s direction, “and I’m still blaming  _ you _ for any and all weird cravings.”

Bill snorted as he lifted his hands in surrender once more and Charlie rushed to fill the silence before they gave him that muggle blood sugar disease Hermione had once lectured the twins about. 

“But really, I mean, how did you two even get together? Have you been here all this time? Does anyone besides me know about you two?”

Harry shrugged, “Our friends here of course, Ron and Hermione know I’m with someone, but not that it’s Bill.” His mouth started to turn down and Charlie watched Bill stretch out a hand to cover Harry’s. 

“It was just after the war when we got together, Harry followed our string and literally knocked me over as he came running around a corner.” Bill’s mouth twisted up into a little smile in Harry’s direction and Charlie could feel the adoration in their locked gaze. “In the beginning, it was just all so new, and we didn’t want mum’s pressure interfering, you know, marriage, grandkids―she would have pestered us to move back to England―and Harry―  _ we _ , both just wanted to rest, live our lives a bit and get to know one another properly without all of that pressure.” 

Harry squeezed Bill’s hand and picked up the story, “Then before we knew it, it was Christmas and it still felt too soon, so we didn’t say anything and went back separately. Then it was just, the longer we didn’t say anything, the harder it got to bring it up. I mean… how do we tell them we’ve been lying to them all this time?”

Charlie shrugged in response as he took a sip of his tea.

“Thanks, very helpful,” Bill groused.

“Hey, I’m not the one living in sin and keeping it a secret from the whole family.” Charlie joked, but he felt it when his smile didn’t reach his eyes and the joke fell flat. “You didn’t even tell  _ me _ , Bill.” 

The silence in the kitchen was loud as they sat there, still enough they could have been statues. The quiet was broken by a sudden gagging noise from Harry and a muttered, ‘excuse me’. 

Both Charlie and Bill watched Harry dart from the room and down the hall. 

Bill sighed heavily. “I know, I know. Gods, I’m sorry, Charlie, but I… I don’t even know how this got so far out of hand. We never meant to keep it a secret this long and it was so important in the beginning. Do you even know how many letters Harry got,  _ still _ gets, asking him to come back? To be their hero? To join the Aurors, or become a teacher, or a spokesperson, or the Minister? Merlin, he even gets letters asking him to patronise cafes and restaurants!” Bill’s fork scraped across his plate as he popped the last piece of fruit in his mouth. “It seemed like every time we’d decide to tell you all, he would get another letter and he would get so panicked by the expectations and the pressure and his nightmares would come back… Charlie… I―”

Bill’s words failed him and Charlie understood, he clapped Bill on the shoulder and let the action speak for him while he waited for Bill to get a hold of himself. He glanced around the kitchen, seeing the evidence of their life together. The life they had built here. The photos of the two of them and what must be their friends on the cabinets. The brooms hung side by side by the back door. He remembered the couch in the living room, the one filled with cushions and a throw, perfect for snuggling. 

“It’s not fair,” he told Bill simply. “It’s not fair that he’s been given the lot in life he has. And it sucks. Big time. But it’s also not fair for you to hide your happiness from your family.” He looked back to his brother as Bill let out a long, slow breath. “They’d all be thrilled to know you guys found each other. I’m thrilled for you guys. And that I’m gonna be an  _ uncle _ . Mum’s gonna be ecstatic―Ottery St Catchpole is going to have a wool shortage soon―but no matter how you break it to them, they are going to be a bit upset. There’s no way to avoid that. You’re just gonna have to take your lumps.”

“You’re right, fuck, you’re right,” Bill muttered, fingers squeezing the bridge of his nose. 

Charlie gave him a wan smile and squeezed his shoulder. “Course I am, I’ve always been the smarter one out of the two of us.” Bill shot him a half grin which Charlie figured was better than nothing. “Come on, go check on Harry, then we’ll go see about this dragon. Once we get her settled in Romania, I’ll help you guys tell Mum.”

Bill’s hand covered his for a moment. “Thanks, Charlie.” 

Charlie just nodded, and Bill stood and moved deeper into the house. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

“So, the dragon, what’s she like in your opinion? Angry? Scared? How big is she?” Charlie asked as he and Harry approached the pyramid.

Harry cocked his head in thought, “Definitely scared I think, really defensive like the Horntail was in the tournament. And I dunno… maybe about the same size too? It’s hard to tell, really. She might be bigger, she looks like those old pictures of Asian dragons.”

Charlie drew up short and stared at Harry, “She looks like what?” 

“You know, long and snake-like, short little legs, moustachey thing on her snout. We tried tempting her out of the pyramid, but she didn’t want to move, let alone leave. She seems to like Bill though. There was a name we kept trying to translate, but it wasn’t in any language we could decipher. Imperial something or other”

Charlie nodded and scratched at his short beard thoughtfully, his mind spinning over what Harry was telling him, there was something so very disconcerting about the description. “Right, well, this is going to be interesting,” he murmured.

Harry cocked his head but Charlie was too caught up in his thoughts to pay him any attention. Could it really be a breed they had all presumed was extinct―even if it had existed in the first place? They entered the pyramid and he saw Harry wave to Bill out the corner of his eye―his older brother was already inside talking to some tired looking curse-breakers. 

“Quiet night here, boss,” one of them was saying, “gonna go home and catch some z’s.”

“You do that,” Bill said, “we’ll take it from here.”

Charlie heard the conversation as he studied the hieroglyphics on the walls. He had never been very good at History of Magic, less good at Ancient Runes, but even he could tell there was something weird about the markings on the walls here. 

He heard familiar footsteps behind him, so he wasn’t surprised when Bill’s voice spoke next to him. 

“Yeah, it’s cool huh? So many cultures blended here. Egyptians, Celts, Romans, a  _ lot  _ of Japanese, there’s even some Amazonian,” he said pointing. “It's as if they were all so afraid of her for existing that they banded together to hide her from the world.”

Something niggled in the back of Charlie’s mind, but a shout from someone nearby banished it. 

“We doing this?” 

Charlie and Bill turned to see some short fellow standing by Harry gesturing at them.

“No time like the present,” Bill called back. “You ready?” he asked Charlie, “We’ll follow your lead.”

“No time like the present,” said Charlie, unable to resist mocking Bill just a little. 

Bill rolled his eyes and tried to sling an arm around his neck to put him in a headlock like when they were younger. Charlie was quicker now though and had his elbow in Bill’s ribs before he had even extended his arm. 

“OI!” 

Harry’s voice cut through them and Charlie knew the sheepish grin he sent toward Harry matched Bill’s own. 

“You want to tell us what we’re doing?” asked Harry expectantly. 

Charlie suddenly sobered up, and he grew serious, there were high stakes at risk here and he shouldn’t be allowing himself to get sidetracked by his brother, or his brother’s personal life. 

“I go first, the rest of you come in only after a few minutes have passed―one at a time―or if I give the signal. Do not approach her. I just need to get a feel for her and the situation, then we get out and I call the reserve to get more handlers. Kapeesh?”

“Kapeesh?” asked Bill, an amused eyebrow raised. 

Charlie shot him a glare and Bill held a hand in peace. 

“What’s the signal?” Harry asked, getting them back on track. 

Charlie grinned, “I’m thinking, lots of yelling.” 

Harry’s eyes went wide, but he nodded, exchanging a grim glance with Bill and the other guy. 

“Right then. Let’s go.” 

~*~*~*~*~*~

Charlie crept down the long, skinny corridor, Bill behind him, Harry after Bill. The other guy―damn, he really needed to get his name―was bringing up the rear. 

A source of light glowed at the end of the tunnel and Bill tapped Charlie on the shoulder, his signal they were almost there. Charlie nodded and then stopped for a moment, his gaze caught on the ancient Japanese-style painting―a man stretching out his hand to touch the dragon and in the next frame, he was riding it. 

He turned to hiss back at Bill and the others, “You didn’t say it was an  _ Imperial Glarghk Guhl Kashmas’nik! _ ”

Harry hissed back, “Cause I can’t  _ say  _ Imperial Glabarba-ba-dick!”

Charlie covered his hand with his face and breathed deeply. 

“Charlie, what is it?” Bill whispered urgently. “Tell me!”

Charlie sighed and dropped his hand, leaning back against the wall he said quietly, “Glarghk Guhl Kashmas’niks were hunted to extinction, they were vicious, temperamental and unpredictable or so the stories go.  _ Imperial _ Glarghk Guhl Kashmas’niks were captured and trained by Imperial Mages of the Ancient Japanese Empire. Bred with serpents so they could communicate through spells. They were bred to be ridden by the Emperor and his Generals in times of war. They only ever recognised one rider and after that riders demise they were imprisoned or killed.”

“Shit,” said the guy behind Harry.

“So, what are you saying Charlie?” Bill asked and Charlie pointed to the third drawing of a man being laid to rest.

“I’m saying, that this tomb belongs to her rider, and we’re trespassing.” 

“We should get out of here,” Harry said. “Regroup. Come back with more wizards.”

“Got it,” said the other bloke and he began to turn back the way they had come.

“I agree,” said Bill, “Except you’re not coming next time.” 

Charlie saw Harry open his mouth to argue.

“ _ Don’t  _ argue with me, Harry. We need to keep you safe,” his voice dropped, “you need to keep Bubs safe.” 

Harry paled and nodded quickly, “you’re right, you’re right. I just…”

“I know, love. We’ll be fine though. I promise.” 

Charlie refrained from saying anything, he knew Bill couldn’t promise that with any certainty and by the look in Harry’s eyes, he knew it too. He cleared his throat and nudged Bill.

“Come on.”

Harry turned, and they were about to set off when the guy in front of them tripped over something. His hand came down on a torch bracket to catch himself and with a sudden terrible grinding sound, a wall rose up between him and three of them. Sealing them off from each other completely. 

With them stuck inside the tomb.

With an Imperial Glarghk Guhl Kashmas’nik.

“Alright,” Charlie said, trying to keep the nerves out of his voice as he turned back toward the waiting dragon, “is there another way out?”

“We always create an extra exit, just in case of things like this,” Bill said quietly. 

“Right, let me guess,” Charlie replied, “other side of the tomb?”

“How’d you know?” Harry asked sarcastically. 

“Just figured it was the most shit option.” He heard both Harry and Bill snort behind him and threw them back a cheeky grin. “Come on then, nothing like going to face a dragon. Same plan as before. Me first, you two after.”

“Unless there’s screaming,” muttered Harry.

“Yep. Unless there’s screaming.” Charlie replied, throwing a grin over his shoulder and hoping he at least looked confident. 

Bill’s face was worried, but he had the steadiness about him that made him a great curse breaker and a great big brother. Harry looked determined and suddenly Charlie felt like it might all work out alright after all.

With a best-of-the-best curse breaker and a determined Harry Potter backing him up, how could they fail?

Charlie sucked in a breath and took the last few steps to the end of the corridor. He flattened himself against the wall and tentatively looked into the room. Lumos lanterns had been set into the walls and the ceiling providing light and warmth inside the cool tomb. Charlie could see evidence of the dig Bill had been supervising and then, as his gaze travelled further, there she was. 

Charlie felt his jaw drop and his eyes grow wide as he stared in wonder, because there, curled upon a golden dais, a clutch of eggs encased between her front paws, was the most perfect creature Charlie had ever seen. Her scales shone beneath the muted light. Smooth as glass and the colour of the brightest sapphires. Her protruding neural spines looked like burnished gold and her horns spiralled in gentle loops back over her skull to protect the soft spot Charlie knew would be at the base of her skull. Her eyes were intent and clear and the colour of freshly cut grass, he let out an involuntary sigh as he gazed upon her, sure that he could stand here for hours if only she would allow him to do so unharmed... 

Something sharp jabbed him in the gut and it was then that he realised Bill had been trying to get his attention. 

“What?” he hissed.

“Do you see her?”

Her snout was pointed directly at the eggs and Charlie recognised the breathing pattern as similar to that of the Fireball -  _ in-in-in-out. _

Shit, she was trying to hatch them. 

There was a vast difference between a nesting mother dragon and an  _ actively _ nesting mother dragon. Even the reserve hadn’t been so insane as to give the contestants for the TriWizard Tournament  _ active _ nesting mothers. 

Dragon eggs needed warmth after they were laid, but they took extra heat and flame to hatch in the end-stage. It was probably how she had been captured. The wizards had probably surrounded her while she was trying to hatch them and caught her in their spells. 

“Yeah,” Charlie whispered back toward his brother, “I see her. She’s trying to hatch her eggs.”

There was an odd sound from behind Charlie―a sort of soft ‘aww’―and both he and his brother turned to look back at Harry.

“What?” snapped Harry defensively, “I’m not allowed to think that’s sweet?”

“You ‘aww’d’,” said Bill.

“I did not,” Harry huffed, they both continued to stare at him, and Harry glared harder. “IF you know what’s good for you, you’ll keep anything hormone related to yourselves.” 

“Yes, love,” Bill uttered quickly, and his elbow rammed itself into Charlie’s ribs again. 

“Er, yep! Of course, er, not saying anything to anyone. Nope.” 

Charlie nodded in Harry’s direction and then took a deep breath and stepped out onto the floor. 

Instantly, the dragon’s eyes were on him, though she didn’t move from her position as she continued to breathe on her eggs, small flames erupting from her nostrils occasionally to lick at the eggs in front of her. 

Charlie began his approach, his gait confident as he slowly walked forward. Not once did he stop moving. Not once did he look her directly in the eye until he stopped just outside of striking distance and bowed toward her. Some dragons were receptive to that, he hoped she would be one of them. If she wasn’t, his task would be that much harder. 

Thankfully, she inclined her head back toward him, and he breathed a little easier. 

He beckoned for Harry and Bill to step into the open and they did so, staying back in a non-threatening manner. 

“My lady,” Charlie began. 

He knew that nothing would come of his words, dragon’s mostly didn’t understand the human tongue as a whole. But they were certainly intelligent enough to parse the meaning in his tone. He hoped that with her positive connection to a human before might mean she would understand some of what he might say. 

“We are stuck here. Trapped. We are seeking a way out through the other side of this cavern. I would like to return, to speak with you, care for you. Ensure that you and your young are healthy. You have been stuck here for far too long. It would be an absolute honour if you would allow me to do so.”

He bowed again and she turned toward him fully this time, her body moving to wrap around her eggs as she leant forward to scent him. He got the faint impression she thought he was leaving something out.

“There is more,” he said, “we would need to relocate you. The beings that believe they own this tomb wish to see you gone. I can offer you safe passage to a new home, where you would be free to roam the land and sky.”

She snorted a warm breath in his direction and when he didn’t flinch, the cavern became filled with a sibilant hissing and he could feel anger that wasn’t his own. 

“Uh, Charlie,” Harry whisper-shouted, “she wants to know who’s going to hurt her eggs.”

“No-one,” Charlie told her immediately. “No-one at all if you’ll trust me.”

More hissing filled the cavern and Harry translated again, Charlie realised quickly that she must be speaking in parseltongue or some variant close to it. Harry’s voice was much closer this time and Charlie glanced over his shoulder to see Bill and Harry were now just behind him. 

“She says the last human she trusted died, and she was left to wizards who feared her and trapped her here.”

“My lady,” Charlie said, stepping forward and letting the awe he felt for her ring in his voice, “your power and size are intimidating, no sane person would deny that, but I would gladly spend every minute at your side if it meant I had your trust. If I could return that precious gift with my own.”

“She says you have a way with words, you’re a flatterer, Charlie. And uh―”

Harry suddenly broke off into a flurry of hisses, similar to the ones the Imperial Glarghk Guhl Kashmas’nik was using. 

“What are you saying,” Bill whispered, edging closer to Harry and looking furtively between the dragon and his lover. 

“Bill, don’t move,” Charlie advised when she rounded on them, her attention off of Harry and now fixed on Bill. 

“She wanted to know who was the dragon rider in my family,” Harry said, “I had to tell her about Voldemort, but it’s too complicated to explain quickly in Parseltongue. She thinks Bill’s a threat to me.”

Charlie stepped forward immediately, his hands out to his sides. “He is my brother, and he is worried for his mate.” he gestured to Harry. “For he is carrying a hatchling of his own. Of their making, and it makes my brother overprotective.”

The dragon looked at her eggs, breathing on them some more as Charlie waited for her decision. This whole experience had been incredible so far. To have this much communication with her… It was astounding. 

She moved, and with the shifting of her body, Charlie could see the emergency exit Bill’s team had erected before they had unlocked her spells. 

Hissing filled the cavern once more and Harry was quick to tell them what she said. 

“She said she would like to trust once more, that she is not ready to be at war with wizards. She wants you to come closer.” 

Charlie sucked in a breath and nodded, he ignored Bill’s whispered warning and strode forward, closer to her and her clutch. 

He halted near her and bowed again, he felt her warm breath pass over him and then a scaly snout filled his vision. Pressing gently against his forehead. Charlie felt a jolt of energy lance through him and he stumbled. Catching himself against her snout. 

“ _ You can underssstand me now. _ ” came a hissed voice, and Charlie looked up wide-eyed at her. “ _ It is good. I imagine much will need to be discussssed and I do not want to upssset your family more. I will take you asss my rider. It isss good to feel a dragonbond once more, and to a kind sssoul sssuch asss yoursss no lessss.” _

“ _ Great lady,”  _ Charlie replied, surprised to find he was answering her in kind. “ _ It is an honour―did you sssay dragonbond? We are...?”  _

The dragon dipped her head. “ _ I can feel your sssoul, it callsss to mine. I will not ignore that which the great mother grantsss usss.” _

Charlie’s eyes grew wide and he threw himself forward, wrapping as much of his arms around her breast as he could. 

“ _ Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thisss isss truly the most blessssed day of my entire life!” _

The dragon grumbled beneath his ear, “ _ you are ssstrange, but I find that doesss not matter to me.” _

Her head dropped down, and he could feel himself pressed into her. A bond thrumming in his chest, connecting him to her in such a way that he knew platonic bonds with creatures were real―as he had always believed. 

He wondered what his mum would say when she found out his soulmate was a dragon. 

He figured it would take much of the heat off Bill and Harry. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes... yes, there is a Buffy easter egg in there. XD


	3. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Molly is busy with the final Christmas decorations at the Burrow, awaiting the arrival of all her children. The thing is, they all have news. BIG news.

Molly hummed happily to herself as she banished the dust from the mantle and began to hang the Christmas stockings. Today was the day all her children would be coming home for the holiday and she had saved the living room for last so that she could be there as they all arrived. 

Arthur had been hard at work in the yard, clearing it and putting up the magical tents to accommodate all the members of their family over the next few days. Meanwhile, she had been busy in the kitchen, cooking and baking up a storm in order to feed them all. 

Some of her poor darlings were so peaky. 

Ron and Hermione were first to arrive, consenting to hugs and kisses from Molly before placing their presents beneath the tree and going to stow their things in Ronald’s room. 

She had just finished charming the tinsel when Percy and Aubrey arrived. “How are you, Mum?” Percy asked as he pressed a kiss to her cheek. 

“Good, I’m good, dear. Go unpack, and then there’s some gingerbread on the counter for you when you’re done.” 

Gingerbread had always been Percy’s favourite Christmas treat, she thought with a smile as he and Aubrey headed up the stairs. 

The floo flared three more times, spitting out Fred, then George, and then their friend Lee. 

“Hiya, Mum! It’s alright that we brought Lee, right?” George asked.

“Of course, dear! Hello, Lee sweetheart. Come in, make yourself at home. I’ll have Arthur put a cot in the twins room for you. Goodness knows you’ve had the practice sharing with them all thorough Hogwarts,” she chuckled, unaware of the mischievous glances the three of them shared. 

Ron and Hermione were just coming down the stairs as Bill and Harry stepped through the Floo together. Molly’s eye lingered on the supporting arm Bill had around Harry, but in the resulting chaos of everyone’s greetings, she quickly forgot about it. 

Arthur came in from the yard just then, and Percy and Aubrey joined them in the living room once more. Molly was glad she had insisted on making the room bigger when they rebuilt the house. Especially when Ginny came through, dragging her broom and Quidditch supplies with her. 

“Oh, Ginny dear. It’s lovely to see you, but do you think you could shrink these down or pop them away?” 

Her daughter rolled her eyes. “Yes, Mum, in a minute. Hey, Harry!” 

Once again, Molly’s gaze was drawn to Harry and she frowned. There was something decidedly odd about how he was greeting everyone. A certain tilt in his body as he hugged them. 

“Oi!” shouted Fred. “Where’s Charlie? He said he had big news.”

“Right here!” a booming voice came from the front door, “Hang on.”

Molly spun around, eager to greet her second eldest child, but drew up short as he entered the room. There was a long, skinny dragon-looking lizard of some kind wrapped tightly around his shoulders and torso, and there was a bulging pouch wrapped around Charlie’s waist. 

“Charlie, what on  _ earth―” _

“Shhh, Mum. You’ll scare them. This here is Ryoko. She’s my soulmate.” 

For the first time that Molly could remember, the Burrow was full and it was deadly silent. 

“Scare what?” Ginny asked.

“She’s what?” asked George. 

“My soulmate,” Charlie replied, as Ryoko hissed quietly and nuzzled his cheek. “It… uh, turns out that soulmate bonds can be platonic. And cross-species too.”

“I knew it!” crowed Fred, “I knew the first thing Charlie ever brought home to meet the family would be a dragon!” 

A little laughter fluttered around the room and seemed to break the spell that had caught them. 

“How is this possible? Is it even legal?” Molly managed to gasp.

Percy cleared his throat. “Actually, there is a precedent in the law for this sort of thing. It used to be much more common a thousand years or so ago. But it is quite legal. Ryoko has all the same rights in wizarding society as Charlie does.”

“Harry and I can confirm Charlie’s telling the truth. Not only does Ryoko speak parseltongue, but we were there when they bonded. It was… extraordinary.”

Molly’s eyes snapped to where Bill and Harry were standing, where Bill’s arm was still wrapped around Harry’s waist. Her eldest son noticed her gaze and grinned sheepishly at her. 

“Actually, Harry and I have news of our own.” 

Everyone’s attention turned to them and Harry cleared his throat. “Erm―so you all know how I left England… well. It was to follow my soulmate thread. It led me across the sea to Egypt… to Bill. We’ve uh… been together since about a month after I left.”

“ _ WHAT?!”  _ exclaimed Ron. “You… and, and you?” 

“Yeah,” Harry said, “We’re really sorry we didn’t tell you, but we just wanted some time to get used to it, to dating and being with each other and then it just got harder and harder to tell you all…”

“We’re sorry,” Bill said quietly in that authoritative voice that made Molly so proud of her son. “But that’s not all we have to tell you either.”

He and Harry looked at each other, and the love that was so clear in their eyes almost made Molly forgive them right then and there. And then Harry dropped the glamour he had apparently been using and there, for all to see, was a clear bump in his belly.

He was pregnant. 

Molly was going to be a grandmother. 

“Oh! Oh, this is wonderful!” Molly said, racing toward them to sweep them into a hug as everyone called out their congratulations and exclaimed their shock over the two of them being together. “Oh, Harry. You’re going to make a wonderful father. And you too, Bill dear. Oh this is just wonderful, I need to start knitting, how far along are you?”

Before Harry was able to answer her, Ron cleared his throat and said. “Way to steal the thunder, mate.”

Molly blinked rapidly and turned. Hermione’s hands were pressed against her own stomach, pulling the fabric of her loose jumper tight enough that they could all see the gentle swell.

“Two grandbabies?!” Molly cried, “Oh, Arthur dear!” Her eyes began to feel hot, and she felt happy tears running down her cheeks as she swept both Ron and Hermione into a hug as well. 

“Well, if we’re sharing all the news at once…” Ginny said. “I made the full team for the Harpies. As of three o’clock yesterday, I’m a starting chaser.”

The room erupted into noise again and Molly clutched her daughter to her chest. “You’re fulfilling your dreams, I’m so proud of you darling!” she said as she pressed a kiss to Ginny’s temple.

Another throat cleared, and everyone looked to George, who was tapping his hand as if it was a microphone. “May I introduce you all to my beautiful boyfriend, Lee?”

“And,” Fred added, “may I introduce you to my clever boyfriend, Lee?”

Lee waved from his position between the twins and said, “Hi. I’m Lee.”

Molly blinked rapidly. “You two are finally settling down? Oh, I’m thrilled!” 

Her sons both blinked at her, as if they had expected a different reaction. But she ignored them in favour of wrapping Lee up into a hug. 

“Now, dear, you must tell me all your favourite foods. And your favourite colours. And if you ever need advice on how to handle these two, you just call me, alright?”

“Thanks, Mrs Weasley, but I have my own ways of ‘handling’ them,” Lee said with a wink. 

Molly heard the gasps from around the room and knew that her family expected her to object to Lee’s implication, but she laughed instead. “Oh, well done, dear. I see exactly why they picked you. Though I’ve always found it best to let them think they get away with things sometimes.”

Lee laughed, “Yes, I found that too. I see where they get it from now, Mrs Weasley.”

“It's Molly, dear. You’re family now,” she said, blushing at the praise. 

“Well, if all the cards are on the table... “ Percy said. “I proposed to Aubrey last week, and she did me the honour of saying yes.”

“Oh, Percy! That’s wonderful!” Molly cried, the tears reigniting in her eyes as she crossed the room to fold him into her arms, pulling Aubrey into the hug as well. 

Her heart was so full, her family, all her babies were happy. They all had found meaning and joy and she couldn’t be prouder of any of them. She stepped back from Percy and Arthur’s arms came to wrap around her as she patted her pockets for a handkerchief and she buried her face into his shoulder instead. 

“I think I can speak for your mother and myself, when I say that we are incredibly happy for all of you. To find love, passion, and happiness in your lives… There’s nothing more a parent could wish for.” 

Molly pulled herself together and lifted her face off of her wonderful husband’s chest. 

“Your father is right, we’re so happy for all of you.” She wiped at her eyes with her hands and drew in a deep breath. “Now, come on. Dinner is waiting for us. I want to hear all the details.”

Her children chuckled and groaned as to their natures, but dutifully filed into the dining room. With a swish of her wand, the roast began carving itself and Molly took her place at Arthur’s side and listened to her family begin their tales. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this story!! It was a hell of a lot of fun to write!! <3

**Author's Note:**

> Big thanks to [noxsoulmate](https://archiveofourown.org/users/noxsoulmate/pseuds/noxsoulmate/works) for betaing this for me! Any mistakes left are mine. 
> 
> Love and muses everyone!!  
> Ariel


End file.
